R is for Rubbish
A caper bush being choked by trash. This bush is growing in a wadi in Dahab, a place where tourists are taken for “Bedouin dinners” in the mountains.
In a survey of European tourists in Sinai given from February to April 2004, when asked what they enjoyed least about their holiday to Sinai,
15% reported waste and rubbish
and
8% reported sea pollution.
Yes, whether you call is trash, garbage, rubbish, waste, or ziballa, there is a lot of it in Egypt!
I wonder what the tourists in mainland Egypt would say. I wonder if the tourists realize that they, too, contribute to our local rubbish problem. Rubbish collection is a challenge for sure, but the amount of trash produced by hotel-packed box lunches, plastic water bottles, disposable cups, etc. is overwhelming to say the least.
We need to come at this problem from several angles, and I’d like to start with me. And you. And what we can do to Reduce our Rubbish! (Great alliteration, yes?!) For if there is less rubbish to begin with, there is less for the workers to collect and less for the wind to blow into our deserts and seas.
Since most of the trash found here in Sinai is plastic, let’s start there. There are many bloggers out there dedicated to the environment, and I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorites: Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish. She is an expert on reducing plastic waste! She has this to say about her Plastic-Free Living Guide:
Over the last three years, I’ve discovered many plastic-free methods and alternatives. This list is not meant to be overwhelming but simply to give an idea of what is possible. Choose a few that seem doable and that will make the most impact. No one can do it all at once. But we can all get started!
Having a look at her list, I’ve rated my own plastic-free performance. (Can you tell I’m a teacher?!) Three-star items, we do pretty consistently. Two-star items, we’re working on but sometimes forget our own container for tameya. One-star items are ones we’re just beginning to focus on.
*** 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12, 13, 15, 21, 25, 28, 29, 47, 50, 66, 69
** 14, 18, 27, 61
* 5, 6, 9
Check out her guide and try find at least one way to reduce your own rubbish. Have other good ideas specific to Egypt or traveling? Please post a comment and share your tips.
Because I’d really prefer not to post such ugly photos on my blog…
(Survey data from the South Sinai Environmental Action Plan, 2005.)
Yuck,….. and yes, my fault too. I plead guilty in many cases.
In our first week here in Sharm I’ve seen a shop that offered those big water dispensers, you know the 5 gallon bottles.
We had them in Korea and there was a deposit on the bottles, you could rent the machine, they deliver water and pick up the bottles.
Here, I asked. The guys weren’t even sure if they rent or sell those machines, let alone the price and whatnot,…. sigh.
Will def. look at that list when we get to our new Life, next stop you know where 😀
Oh, we’re all guilty. It’s hard not to be. But with a little extra thought and effort, we could be less guilty.
So frustrating about the shopkeepers being uninformed! It can take time to track down products and info some days, especially when the “big boss” leaves the shop in the hands of a cashier who knows how to sell you something simple but can’t do much else. I’m not sure how those water dispensers work as far as rental or returns. In Cairo, we always drank filtered tap water and here in Sinai, filtered well water. But like we said before, it’s a start if you buy the 6-liter bottles instead of the 1 1/2 -liter bottles.
Excellent post!
My father works in a plastic factory, has since he was 18. He’s preached the dangers of plastic ever since we were little kids. It’s only been in recent years, however, that my mom stopped using plastic storage containers and really tried to limit her use of plastic items.
I’ll check out the link you’ve provided when I have more time.
You know, the more I read your blog, the more I really, REALLY want to visit Egypt. Despite the trash, LOL. 😀
Oh, I’m so glad you said that – that you still want to visit Egypt despite the trash! It is a beautiful and fascinating place, just one we need to start taking better care of.
We’ve always been good at reusing and recycling, but it was moving to our small “unzoned”, developing town that really brought the problem of plastics to the forefront. When we first moved to the desert, it was water we were obsessed with saving. In the past two years, it’s been the rubbish. Not being an official “residential” area yet, we have no real organized trash pick up. We have goats, camels, and sheep that roam the streets munching on whatever they find. The city is slowly trying to sort out landfills, trash collection, recycling, etc. But it’s a slow process. And the trash doesn’t stop while we try to figure it all out!
Check out the list when you can. She has great ideas that are good for the environment, but also good for your health when you consider not buying packaged and processed food, etc.
You know my mother visits me in Cairo often, and she loves it. But one thing she has always said is that it is so dirty. She especially commented in Dahab, seeing exactly what you posted, plastic surrounding bushes, palm trees, etc. I especially am sick when I see garbage floating in the beautiful clear waters of teh Red Sea. You know the lagoon in Dahab, despite there being garbage dumpsters around, we always see glass, plastic and tons of other garbage floating in the water, so sad. We can all do our part you’re right, but how can we also help inspire the locals to do theirs too? I live in a great place in New Cairo, cleaner than “Cairo” but here too we witness people rolling down the windows of their SUV’s or Mercedes and throwing trash outside. What to do? Great post!
I actually think the laguna in Dahab is one of our cleanest spots. Not saying much for the other dive sites, is it? One thing I, as an American, must remember is that I have been exposed to public awareness campaigns about litter and pollution for several decades now – on television, on billboards, in classrooms, etc. (The Keep America Beautiful anti-litter campaign began in 1961, the anti-pollution campaign in 1971.) Egyptians have not. Although these campaigns have been effective historically, litter is a current problem in the States as well. (Let’s not trash our roadways, June 2010) One of the points I’m trying to make, though, is that littering is not the biggest problem. The simple fact that we produce too much trash to begin with is. So, my approach – not only with locals but with everyone – has been to be my own personal “public awareness campaign.” For now, that means I try to be a good model and I try engage others in discussions, helping them learn about the problems with trash. I swim at the laguna nearly every day in the summer – and I won’t get in the sea if the beach is covered in trash. I clean it up first. And occasionally, a local beach-goer will join in the efforts. When we order drinks at the bar, we ask for no straws. Then my husband discusses why with the bartender, I ask my friend who is buying the next round to remember “no straws”. When out shopping, my husband refuses plastic bags and will often engage the shopkeepers in a discussion on why – because we have too many plastic bags flying around Dahab as it is! It gets talked about. People start to think. I don’t know if that is enough to inspire them to act, but it’s what I can do. What would you do to inspire others?
It’s not just Egypt plastic rubbish is a problem the world over which is why I boycott the filthy stuff. Check out my list if plastic free products if you want to cut down your plastic consumption.http://plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com/a-z-plastic-free/